Authorities arrived to find a young couple, Sintia Perez, 21, and Jace Hirschy, 23, with their two small children — but when they asked about their third child, little Zaelynn, what the parents said next was absolutely chilling. According to WANE, the family of five lived in filthy conditions, with little Zaelynn forced to sleep in a closet — her only source of warmth, a space heater running through the night. Tragically, this sleeping arrangement proved fatal. Zaelynn died of hyperthermia, or overheating.
Slept in a closet
Court documents described how an officer immediately noticed a drastic rise in temperature upon stepping from the bedroom into the closet. Inside, officers discovered the two-year-old lying on a soiled mattress in her crib, her diaper unchanged. Her small body was discolored — a heartbreaking sign of the tragic conditions she endured. An autopsy revealed the toddler’s body temperature had soared to a staggering 109.4 degrees by the time police arrived. The mother, Sintia Perez, reportedly told investigators she had put Zaelynn to bed around 7 p.m. the night before and turned the heater up nearly to its maximum setting. The next day, she didn’t wake up until 12:30 p.m.— but neither she nor Hirschy checked on their daughter until hours later, around 3 p.m. By then, it was too late. Police reported that temperatures inside the closet had reached a scorching 109 degrees near the ceiling, creating a deadly environment for the helpless toddler.
